Alex Eala cracks WTA Top 40 ahead of Qatar Open

Filipina tennis star Alex Eala has broken into the Top 40 of the WTA rankings ahead of her opening round match at the Qatar Open in Doha.

As of Monday, Eala is ranked 40th in the world, a new career-best for the 20-year-old.

The breakthrough comes ahead of her debut in the WTA 1000 tournament in Doha, where she will play Czech qualifier Tereza Valentova in the first round.

Eala’s ranking surge was fueled by her results at the Abu Dhabi Open, where she reached the quarterfinals in singles and made it to the semifinals in doubles.

Eala also climbed 37 spots in the doubles rankings, moving up to world No. 99.

Against the 18-year-old Valentova, Eala will be seeking payback for a 1-6, 2-6 loss at the Japan Women’s Open on Oct. 24, 2025, where the Czech eliminated her in the round of 32.

Valentova entered the main draw by topping the qualifying field as the No. 1 seed, beating Arina Rodionova and Ella Seidel in back-to-back three-set matches.

She is also coming off a notable Australian Open run, reaching the third round before losing to eventual champion Elena Rybakina, 2-6, 3-6.

Eala’s rise was reinforced by her quarterfinal appearance at the Abu Dhabi Open, where she bowed to Ekaterina Alexandrova in straight sets.

Her latest career-high arrived just hours before her scheduled Round of 64 stint at the WTA 1000 Qatar Open, where she will test herself anew against Valentova.

The Doha stop marks Eala’s fifth tournament in a busy 2026 campaign.

She opened the year with a semifinal appearance in the ASB Classic, where she faced Xinyu Wang.

Eala then moved to the Australian Open, where she lost in the opening round to Alycia Parks.

Back in the Philippines, she played in the inaugural Philippine Women’s Open and reached the quarterfinals, falling to Camila Osorio.

Just days later, she returned to the tour at the Abu Dhabi Open and again reached the quarterfinals before Alexandrova ended her run.

Despite the setbacks, Eala’s results have continued to translate into progress in the rankings as she pushes deeper into the WTA’s top tier.

She began the year ranked No. 50, then climbed to No. 49 before jumping four more places to No. 40.